'I don't know how to go on' - Lionel Messi posts heartbreaking tribute to late father Jorge and drops retirement hint

Messi has plunged his footballing future into doubt following an emotional tribute to his father, Jorge, who passed away at the age of 68 last week. The Argentina icon shared a lengthy open letter on Instagram, reflecting on their close bond and the immense void left by his father's death.

In a passage that has stunned the football world, the 39-year-old indicated that his motivation to play may have evaporated. Messi wrote: 'I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to go on. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I'll keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn't you hold on that little bit more so we could finish together?'

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner revealed the personal pain of playing through the recent World Cup while his father's health declined. Messi explained that his primary motivation for reaching the final was to give his father more time to recover and potentially travel, though Argentina ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat against Spain, failing to defend the crown they won in 2022.

Despite Messi's best efforts on the pitch, he admitted his physical limits were reached during the tournament's climax. 'You asked me so much to play in the last World Cup, and it was in the days just before it started that you got the worst. It was the first time you weren't going to be at a tournament, but Mum told me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel. Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That's when I realised the situation was really bad.'

Messi added: 'Even so, I didn't stop thinking about going as far as possible, to buy you time and so you could see a match. We reached the final and you couldn't be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn't: my legs wouldn't give any more. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel good. When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn't talk about anything that happened. You couldn't enjoy anything. We weren't champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.'

Jorge Messi was more than just a parent; he was the architect of Lionel's career, famously brokering the deal that took his son to Barcelona as a teenager. The elder Messi convinced the Catalan giants to fund expensive growth hormone treatments, famously securing the initial agreement on a paper napkin.

Messi continued to praise his father's multifaceted role in his life, describing him as a mentor who was rarely wrong. He added: 'For many of them Mum took me because you were working. Obviously you never missed a single match. How you suffered watching me and how you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me many compliments. You were dad, friend and representative. You were always the person you needed to be in every moment and you never got anything wrong. Beyond a few reproaches or arguments, you were always right. In the end it always turned out the way you said.'

The sporting community has rallied around Messi, with rivals and teammates alike offering condolences under his social media post. Cristiano Ronaldo led the tributes, writing: 'A huge hug to you and yours in these tough times, Leo. Much strength.' Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham also shared his support, stating: 'We stand with you and your family, Leo – always.'

Closing his heartbreaking statement, Messi promised to carry his father's values forward when raising his own children. He concluded: 'I'm going to miss you a lot, but you'll always be present, and especially in the upbringing of my children, because I teach them and raise them the way you both did with me. Rest in peace and look after us from above the way you did down here. Thank you for everything.'

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